Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1887-02-08
New York Advertising Agents

newspapers, and who, through all
that time, have paid every bill, met
every obligation with promptness
and established reputation for being
good business men and fair dealers.
They sustain large offices, employ
clerks by the score or dozen, meet
their obligations promptly, and
doubtless realize profit upon their
transactions but for some reason the
working of these advertising officials
are not, and never have been, such as
make them wholly satisfactory to
considerable body of the publishers
of newspapers, and within the past
ten years IL has become a custom with
many of the leading journals of the
country to open an office in New
York, and keep there a representa-
tive, who makes il his sole business
to watch and advance the interest of
the journal he represents.
Many of these special agents-in
fact, most of them-aro men of promi-
nent ability, receiving salaries rang
ing from two to eight thousand dol
lars per annum In addition TO an al
lowance for office rent, clerk hire aud
incidental expenses they live on
terms of amity with the established
general advertising agencies; they
form intimate relations with leading
advertisers and after securing for
their own journals such contents, as
may be had, not infrequently assume
the Office of general advertising
agency, and receive and transact bus
mess for any other papers the adver-
tiser wishes to use. In this way the
special agent of single paper be-
comes all adjutant or a rival of one
OF the established advertising bu-
reaus.' He has marked advantage
over the thoroughly-equipped office
in the fact that he Is known not to
undertake or promise the thorough
watching of the papers while carry
Ing out their contract which is found
so necessary by the other, and thus is
saved the necessity of mourning the
heavy expense which that work en-
tails. t
SO successful have these men been
in securing business and retaining
the confidence of their employers,
both publishers and advertisers, that
In several instances they have in
comes ranging from thousand dol
lars a month upwards; and have ac-
cumulated, in comparatively few
years, fortunes which make them the
envy of their better known and more
pretentious competitors-ther regular
ly-established agencies who assume
to represent all journals. Several Of
these successful special agents have
found themselves able 10 represent
in satisfactory manner, more than |
one journal. Sometimes more than
one in the same city, as, for instance,
one morning and one of evening is
sue, or one of each prominent pOlili
cal party. More than one goes iarih-
er and is specially empowered To
represent one or more journals ofim.
pOrtance In from two TO a dozen diff.
ferent cities of consequence. The,
tend to become more and more like
the older established agencies which
claim TO represent all newspapers.
The radical difference being that
these special agents are the servants
of the publishers they represent, and
and work for them, receiving their
salaries. from them, while the scheme
of the General Advertising Agency
is that the agent seeks the advantage
of the advertiser, he being the oat
from whom the agents gets the mon-
ey, and whose confidence il is mcsl
important for him to retain.
t. -. al. 1
of the Union what are known ms Ed
itorial Associations, under the All.
spices Of which there are annual and
other meeting of the publishers, edi-
tors, owners, the business managers
of the newspaper offices of the States
Prominent among the subject dis
cussed In these conventions is that Of
an agency in the city of New York,
which shall specially represent their
interests and bring them before adj
vertisers TO the best advantage. The
agencies which exist for the purpose
evidently fail 10 give entire satifac-
ton. They are sometimes accused ;
of exactlng enormous prices from adj ,
vertisers and placing the ADVERTISE ,
ments, 50 secured, with the newspa- y
pers at merely nominal figures, reap. .
ing harvest for themselves, far be.
You'd anything they ought to receive,
and again they are charged with Sc
curing space by complicated and cum
ming devices, and avoiding payment
by technical objections. The project
Of establishing an agency which shall
owe its existence TO appointment by
the convention aud conducts its
affairs in accordance with its Instruc.
lions, is very often talked of and ear
nestly considered. Such an agency
should exist in every State or, bet
Ter still, he made national affair" ,
Says one publisher of an influential {
Journal. at is high time" be con- {
Times, that there were agencies es-
Iablished that should represent the /
and deal fairly and honor s
ably by the advertiser" q
The question of extending credit TO
an advertiser is one that is always
left TO the discretion of the special
agent lie may extend it wherever
he thinks Il wise TO do so and II
loss is made he is not held RESPONSE
BILE, whilst IL the order comes from a
general agency the financial standing
IF the advertiser need not be Inquired q
INTO, for the agency pays in any I
event. Probably this is the strong I
sst vantage ground of the special
agent, for as advertising space ia |
which goes to waste IL
rot used, publisher does not so
much mind loss resulting from an 8
occasional failure but to the estab- q
ished General Advertising Agency 1
his occasional loss is serious; as one /
such, having to be made good by I
him, uses up the net profit on many n
similar orders from good men who do
pay.
These special agencies increase In
number and are apparently success {
'nl. The general agencies do not in
,rease In number, and the amount of
Iutmess done by them does not grow
n proportion to the growth of the
press and of advertising. There will
'ome time when the business win
dust itself and some approach win a
,e made toward settling the pnzzling q,
questions which must be disposed of ii
,efore the National Agency fort .,
'ress of the nation shall exist in New e.
Tnplr fha M tiono tnairnnolto of